Gaming device having mahjong elements

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to gaming devices that incorporate various aspects of the traditional Asian game of Mahjong. Mahjong tiles or symbols may be used in various types of games that include a single hand of dealt tiles, hands that use tile drawing and discarding, poker-style game play with a dealt and/or drawn hand of Mahjong tiles, multi-player games with Mahjong tiles, and other types of games that utilize elements from Mahjong. These games may be more favorably received than traditional slot machine games by players with familiarity with Mahjong.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This disclosure relates generally to gaming devices, and more particularly to gaming devices that include elements of Mahjong in game play.

BACKGROUND

Legalized casino gambling has developed rapidly in Macau (or Macao) since it opened its industry to foreign companies in 2002. Since electronic gaming devices have traditionally been a large part of casino business in the United States, Australia, Europe, and other countries with legalized gaming, a similar business model has likewise been attempted in Macau. In the above mentioned countries, slot machines have typically included spinning reel type games, video poker games, and, to a lesser extent, video keno and blackjack games. Although some of these games have enjoyed modest popularity in Macau, many players are not familiar with the game play ideas of these gaming devices, and hence do not play these gaming devices.

In order to improve popularity, many slot machine manufactures have attempted to tailor games to Chinese players in order to gain popularity and improve business. One such attempt was made by Bally Gaming at the opening of the Macau Sands Casino in May 2004, with their game titled “Mah Jong,” which was basically an old mechanical stepper reel style game already released in the United States, but with new artwork utilizing some of the symbols used in the game of Mahjong (or Mah Jong). While this game was moderately successful, it had little resemblance to the actual game of Mahjong, and merely utilized some of its symbols, replacing those used in the game in the USA. Another game introduced by Bally was Golden 8's, another artwork combination appealing to the Chinese appreciation of the number 8, but again with little association with anything else recognizable to Chinese players. Other efforts were made by manufacturers such as IGT, with games such as “Fa Cai 12s.” Again, this was another game involving simply changing the artwork from a pre-existing game to some apparently auspicious Chinese symbolisms, which was no more than moderately successful.

The relative lack of success of these games, and others, was based on their superficial attention to Asian culture, and their lack of combining the symbols used with playing methods that Chinese players were accustomed to. Embodiments of this invention address these and other issues in the prior art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a detail diagram illustrating an example set of Mahjong tiles according to embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram that illustrates a gaming device according to embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 3 is an isometric view of the gaming device illustrated in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of networked gaming devices according to embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a detail diagram of a gaming device having Mahjong elements according to embodiments of the invention. Like to display the tiles in a row of 13, rather than two rows if possible

FIGS. 6A and 6B are detail diagrams of a gaming display showing progression of a game having Mahjong elements according to embodiments of the invention.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are detail diagrams of a gaming display showing progression of another game having Mahjong elements according to embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 8 is a detail diagram of a gaming device having Mahjong elements according to embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a multiplayer game having Mahjong elements according to embodiments of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to gaming devices and methods of operating gaming devices to incorporate elements of Mahjong game play. Mahjong is an ancient and popular game that originated in China and is common in various forms throughout Eastern Asia. The term “Mahjong” (or “Mah Jong”) is used in this document, as it is the most common form of spelling in roman characters, meant to represent the phonetic spelling of the Cantonese dialect for the term, whereas spelling for Mandarin in pin yin format would be Ma Jiang, the Chinese characters being

in traditional Chinese, and

in simplified Chinese. The traditional Asian game of Mahjong consists of 144 tiles (although variations of the game sometimes contain more or fewer tiles). It is these symbols, and commonly recognized variations of these symbols, that are referred to in this invention.

FIG. 1 is a detail diagram illustrating an example set of Mahjong tiles according to embodiments of the invention. Images in this figure have been drawn by Jerry Crimson Mann and are used under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Referring to FIG. 1, the 144 Mahjong tiles are separated into Simple tiles, Honor tiles, and Bonus tiles. The words “tile” or “tiles” will be regularly used in this document, but other terms and/or objects could be used interchangeably, such as symbols, cards, plaques, graphic icons etc. to represent the images of the symbols used in the traditional Asian game of Mahjong for the purposes outlined in this document.

Embodiments of this invention are meant to provide unique games for enjoyment, particularly in casino type environments (whether land based, sea based, server based, Internet type, or otherwise). These methods of play, incorporated with the use of Mahjong tiles, open up a new realm of games for potential offer to people. Application of these games could be, but is not limited to the following: table style gaming in casinos (in similar fashion to Blackjack or others), electronic gaming machines (slot machines), computer games (including but not limited to Internet style games), and hand held device style gaming (such as mobile phones, tablets, and PDAs or otherwise) as discussed below.

As discussed below embodiments of the present concept combine the traditional tiles of the ancient Chinese game of Mahjong with various features of traditional gaming devices to create a unique mix of games readily identifiable by Asian players with easily understood methodology and potentially meaningful payouts based on pay tables that resemble winning combinations within the actual game of Mahjong.

The advantages of the methods of gaming outlined in the embodiments discussed in this disclosure include symbol recognition with familiar game play elements. In addition, some embodiments of the present invention utilize all of the tiles used in the game of Mahjong instead of just including a few of them as art work as previously attempted. These embodiments may use draws and discards of the Mahjong tiles or symbols to generate a final hand that the player may compare to a paytable, a dealer, or other players to determine if the final hand is associated with an award. Other embodiments described herein take advantage of already popular game styles, such as poker style games, which players can associate with, but with the additional cultural association with the Mahjong tiles that are incorporated. In embodiments that use paytables to determine prizes associated with a player's hand, the paytables may be configured to pay awards for combinations of tiles that are meaningful in the game of Mahjong. That is, winning hands or games with associated pays may be similar to winning combinations in the traditional game. For example, these combinations, sequences, or groupings of tiles may relate to the various traditional groupings used in Mahjong, such as “Chow” (sequence of suited tiles, such as 1, 2, and 3 of a particular suit), and/or “Pung” (three identical symbols of the same tile, such as 3 units of the single bamboo suit), or any other combinations or groupings. While these traditional groupings may be utilized in a paytable, other embodiments of the invention may use completely different groupings, sequences, or sets to indicate a winning hand.

Before discussing specific game play for any embodiments, a brief description of various types of gaming devices and gaming systems will be discussed below. These gaming devices and systems, or features of these devices and systems, may be used with Mahjong game play elements as discussed below to create new and improved game devices and game systems.

FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate example gaming devices according to embodiments of the invention.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, a gaming device 10 is an electronic gaming machine. Although an electronic gaming machine or “slot” machine is illustrated, various other types of devices may be used to wager monetarily based credits on a game of chance in accordance with principles of the invention. The term “electronic gaming device” is meant to include various devices such as electro-mechanical spinning-reel type slot machines, video slot machines, and video poker machines, for instance. Other gaming devices may include computer-based gaming machines, wireless gaming devices, multi-player gaming stations, modified personal electronic gaming devices (such as cell phones), personal computers, server-based gaming terminals, and other similar devices. Although embodiments of the invention will work with all of the gaming types mentioned, for ease of illustration the present embodiments will be described in reference to the electronic gaming machine 10 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

The gaming device 10 includes a cabinet 15 housing components to operate the gaming device 10. The cabinet 15 may include a gaming display 20, a base portion 13, a top box 18, and a player interface panel 30. The gaming display 20 may include mechanical spinning reels, a video display, or a combination of both spinning reels and a video display. The gaming cabinet 15 may also include a credit meter 27 and a coin-in or bet meter 28. The credit meter 27 may indicate the total number of credits remaining on the gaming device 10 that are eligible to be wagered. In some embodiments, the credit meter 27 may reflect a monetary unit, such as dollars. However, it is often preferable to have the credit meter 27 reflect a number of ‘credits,’ rather than a monetary unit. The bet meter 28 may indicate the amount of credits to be wagered on a particular game. Thus, for each game, the player transfers the amount that he or she wants to wager from the credit meter 27 to the bet meter 28. In some embodiments, various other meters may be present, such as meters reflecting amounts won, amounts paid, or the like. In embodiments where the gaming display 20 is a video monitor, the information indicated on the credit meters may be shown on the gaming display itself 20.

The base portion 13 may include a lighted panel 14, a coin return (not shown), and a gaming handle 12 operable on a partially rotating pivot joint 11. The game handle 12 is traditionally included on mechanical spinning-reel games, where the handle may be pulled toward a player to initiate the spinning of reels 22 after placement of a wager. The top box 18 may include a lighted panel 17, a video display (such as an LCD monitor), a mechanical bonus device (not shown), and a candle light indicator 19. The player interface panel 30 may include various devices so that a player can interact with the gaming device 10.

The player interface panel 30 may include one or more game buttons 32 that can be actuated by the player to cause the gaming device 10 to perform a specific action. For example, some of the game buttons 32 may cause the gaming device 10 to bet a credit to be wagered during the next game, change the number of lines being played on a multi-line game, cash out the credits remaining on the gaming device (as indicated on the credit meter 27), or request assistance from casino personnel, such as by lighting the candle 19. In addition, the player interface panel 30 may include one or more game actuating buttons 33. The game actuating buttons 33 may initiate a game with a pre-specified amount of credits. On some gaming devices 10 a “Max Bet” game actuating button 33 may be included that places the maximum credit wager on a game and initiates the game. The player interface panel 30 may further include a bill acceptor 37 and a ticket printer 38. The bill acceptor 37 may accept and validate paper money or previously printed tickets with a credit balance. The ticket printer 38 may print out tickets reflecting the balance of the credits that remain on the gaming device 10 when a player cashes out by pressing one of the game buttons 32 programmed to cause a ‘cashout.’ These tickets may be inserted into other gaming machines or redeemed at a cashier station or kiosk for cash.

The gaming device 10 may also include one or more speakers 26 to transmit auditory information or sounds to the player. The auditory information may include specific sounds associated with particular events that occur during game play on the gaming device 10. For example, a particularly festive sound may be played during a large win or when a bonus is triggered. The speakers 26 may also transmit “attract” sounds to entice nearby players when the game is not currently being played.

The gaming device 10 may further include a secondary display 25. This secondary display 25 may be a vacuum fluorescent display (VFD), a liquid crystal display (LCD), a cathode ray tube (CRT), a plasma screen, or the like. The secondary display 25 may show any combination of primary game information and ancillary information to the player. For example, the secondary display 25 may show player tracking information, secondary bonus information, advertisements, or player selectable game options.

The gaming device 10 may include a separate information window (not shown) dedicated to supplying any combination of information related to primary game play, secondary bonus information, player tracking information, secondary bonus information, advertisements or player selectable game options. This window may be fixed in size and location or may have its size and location vary temporally as communication needs change. One example of such a resizable window is International Game Technology's “service window”. Another example is Las Vegas Gaming Incorporated's retrofit technology which allows information to be placed over areas of the game or the secondary display screen at various times and in various situations.

The gaming device 10 includes a microprocessor 40 that controls operation of the gaming device 10. If the gaming device 10 is a standalone gaming device, the microprocessor 40 may control virtually all of the operations of the gaming devices and attached equipment, such as operating game logic stored in memory (not shown) as firmware, controlling the display 20 to represent the outcome of a game, communicating with the other peripheral devices (such as the bill acceptor 37), and orchestrating the lighting and sound emanating from the gaming device 10. In other embodiments where the gaming device 10 is coupled to a network 50, as described below, the microprocessor 40 may have different tasks depending on the setup and function of the gaming device. For example, the microprocessor 40 may be responsible for running the base game of the gaming device and executing instructions received over the network 50 from a bonus server or player tracking server. In a server-based gaming setup, the microprocessor 40 may act as a terminal to execute instructions from a remote server that is running game play on the gaming device.

The microprocessor 40 may be coupled to a machine communication interface (MCI) 42 that connects the gaming device 10 to a gaming network 50. The MCI 42 may be coupled to the microprocessor 40 through a serial connection, a parallel connection, an optical connection, or in some cases a wireless connection. The gaming device 10 may include memory 41 (MEM), such as a random access memory (RAM), coupled to the microprocessor 40 and which can be used to store gaming information, such as storing total coin-in statistics about a present or past gaming session, which can be communicated to a remote server or database through the MCI 42. The MCI 42 may also facilitate communication between the network 50 and the secondary display 25 or a player tracking unit 45 housed in the gaming cabinet 15.

The player tracking unit 45 may include an identification device 46 and one or more buttons 47 associated with the player tracking unit 45. The identification device 46 serves to identify a player, by, for example, reading a player-tracking device, such as a player tracking card that is issued by the casino to individual players who choose to have such a card. The identification device 46 may instead, or additionally, identify players through other methods. Player tracking systems using player tracking cards and card readers 46 are known in the art. Briefly summarizing such a system, a player registers with the casino prior to commencing gaming. The casino issues a unique player-tracking card to the player and opens a corresponding player account that is stored on a server or host computer, described below with reference to FIG. 4. The player account may include the player's name and mailing address and other information of interest to the casino in connection with marketing efforts. Prior to playing one of the gaming devices in the casino, the player inserts the player tracking card into the identification device 46 thus permitting the casino to track player activity, such as amounts wagered, credits won, and rate of play.

To induce the player to use the card and be an identified player, the casino may award each player points proportional to the money or credits wagered by the player. Players typically accrue points at a rate related to the amount wagered, although other factors may cause the casino to award the player various amounts. The points may be displayed on the secondary display 25 or using other methods. In conventional player tracking systems, the player may take his or her card to a special desk in the casino where a casino employee scans the card to determine how many accrued points are in the player's account. The player may redeem points for selected merchandise, meals in casino restaurants, or the like, which each have assigned point values. In some player tracking systems, the player may use the secondary display 25 to access their player tracking account, such as to check a total number of points, redeem points for various services, make changes to their account, or download promotional credits to the gaming device 10. In other embodiments, the identification device 46 may read other identifying cards (such as driver licenses, credit cards, etc.) to identify a player and match them to a corresponding player tracking account. Although FIG. 2 shows the player tracking unit 45 with a card reader as the identification device 46, other embodiments may include a player tracking unit 45 with a biometric scanner, PIN code acceptor, or other methods of identifying a player to pair the player with their player tracking account.

A player typically plays the gaming device 10 by placing a wager and activating an input mechanism to initiate a game associated with the placed wager. As used herein, a gaming event refers to any activity that affects the calculation or display of a game outcome. Game events include interactions occurring between the gaming device 10, the player, and/or a connected game system. Example gaming events include a player inserting a player account card in a gaming device, a double-pay bonus time period activation, a first spinning reel coming to a stop, a player's input to hold a card in a poker hand, etc. A game refers to the calculation and completion of one game outcome. That is, a game includes a single game cycle that begins with the initiation of the wagered upon game and ends with the completion of all activities relating to the wager placed including any intervening bonuses. In other words, a game encompasses all gaming events dependent on a placed wager during an initiated game including all amounts due the player that are paid directly by the gaming machine, or as a manual payment by casino personnel to the player playing that gaming machine. For example, if an item was awarded as a result of a wager that could be saved and used later, the game would encompass the awarding of the item, which is part of the game outcome, but not the later use of that item since the later use would affect a different game outcome. A game session refers to one or more played games. For example, a game session for a particular player may include each game played on a specific gaming device, each game played between insertions of money or credits, each game played between an initial money or credit insertion and a cash-out or zeroing out of credits, each game played during a casino stay, or each game played over a predetermined time period. Alternatively, game sessions may refer to games played by multiple players over a specified time period or event period with respect to a particular gaming device or group of gaming devices.

The player may initially insert monetary bills or previously printed tickets with a credit value into the bill acceptor 37. The player may also put coins into a coin acceptor (not shown) or a credit, debit or casino account card into a card reader/authorizer (not shown). In other embodiments, stored player points or special ‘bonus points’ awarded to the player or accumulated and/or stored in a player account may be able to be substituted at or transferred to the gaming device 10 for credits or other value. For example, a player may convert stored loyalty points to credits or transfer funds from his bank account, credit card, casino account or other source of funding. The selected source of funding may be selected by the player at time of transfer, determined by the casino at the time of transfer or occur automatically according to a predefined selection process. One of skill in the art will readily see that this invention is useful with all gambling devices, regardless of the manner in which wager value-input is accomplished.

The credit meter 27 displays the numeric credit value of the money or other value inserted, transferred, or stored dependent on the denomination of the gaming device 10. That is, if the gaming device 10 is a nickel slot machine and a $20 bill inserted into the bill acceptor 37, the credit meter will reflect 400 credits or one credit for each nickel of the inserted twenty dollars. For gaming devices 10 that support multiple denominations, the credit meter 27 will reflect the amount of credits relative to the denomination selected. Thus, in the above example, if a penny denomination is selected after the $20 is inserted the credit meter will change from 400 credits to 2000 credits.

A wager may be placed by pushing one or more of the game buttons 32, which may be reflected on the bet meter 28. That is, the player can generally depress a “bet one” button (one of the buttons on the player interface panel 30, such as 32), which transfers one credit from the credit meter 27 to the bet meter 28. Each time the button 32 is depressed an additional single credit transfers to the bet meter 28 up to a maximum bet that can be placed on a single play of the electronic gaming device 10. The game may be initiated by pulling the gaming handle 12 or depressing the spin button 33. On some gaming devices 10, a “max bet” button (another one of the buttons 32 on the player interface panel 30) may be depressed to wager the maximum number of credits supported by the gaming device 10 and initiate a game.

If the game does not result in any winning combination, the process of placing a wager may be repeated by the player. Alternatively, the player may cash out any remaining credits on the credit meter 27 by depressing the “cash-out” button (another button 32 on the player interface panel 30), which causes the credits on the credit meter 27 to be paid out in the form of a ticket through the ticket printer 38, or may be paid out in the form of returning coins from a coin hopper (not shown) to a coin return tray.

If instead a winning combination (win) appears on the display 20, the award corresponding to the winning combination is immediately applied to the credit meter 27. For example, if the gaming device 10 is a slot machine, a winning combination of symbols 23 may land on a played payline on reels 22. If any bonus games are initiated, the gaming device 10 may enter into a bonus mode or simply award the player with a bonus amount of credits that are applied to the credit meter 27.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating networked gaming devices according to embodiments of the invention. Referring to FIG. 4, multiple electronic gaming devices (EGMs) 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, and 75 may be coupled to one another and coupled to a remote server 80 through a network 50. For ease of understanding, gaming devices or EGMs 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, and 75 are generically referred to as EGMs 70-75. The term EGMs 70-75, however, may refer to any combination of one or more of EGMs 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, and 75. Additionally, the gaming server 80 may be coupled to one or more gaming databases 90. These gaming network 50 connections may allow multiple gaming devices 70-75 to remain in communication with one another during particular gaming modes such as tournament play or remote head-to-head play. Although some of the gaming devices 70-75 coupled on the gaming network 50 may resemble the gaming devices 10 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, other coupled gaming devices 70-75 may include differently configured gaming devices. For example, the gaming devices 70-75 may include traditional slot machines 75 directly coupled to the network 50, banks of gaming devices 70 coupled to the network 50, banks of gaming devices 70 coupled to the network through a bank controller 60, wireless handheld gaming machines 72 and cell phones 73 coupled to the gaming network 50 through one or more wireless routers or antennas 61, personal computers 74 coupled to the network 50 through the internet 62, and banks of gaming devices 71 coupled to the network through one or more optical connection lines 64. Additionally, some of the traditional gaming devices 70, 71, and 75 may include electronic gaming tables, multi-station gaming devices, or electronic components operating in conjunction with non-gaming components, such as automatic card readers, chip readers, and chip counters, for example.

Gaming devices 71 coupled over an optical line 64 may be remote gaming devices in a different location or casino. The optical line 64 may be coupled to the gaming network 50 through an electronic to optical signal converter 63 and may be coupled to the gaming devices 71 through an optical to electronic signal converter 65. The banks of gaming devices 70 coupled to the network 50 may be coupled through a bank controller 60 for compatibility purposes, for local organization and control, or for signal buffering purposes. The network 50 may include serial or parallel signal transmission lines and carry data in accordance with data transfer protocols such as Ethernet transmission lines, Rs-232 lines, firewire lines, USB lines, or other communication protocols. Although not shown in FIG. 4, substantially the entire network 50 may be made of fiber optic lines or may be a wireless network utilizing a wireless protocol such as IEEE 802.11a, b, g, or n, Zigbee, RF protocols, optical transmission, near-field transmission, or the like.

As mentioned above, each gaming device 70-75 may have an individual processor 40 (FIG. 2) and memory 41 to run and control game play on the gaming device 70-75, or some of the gaming devices 70-75 may be terminals that are run by a remote server 80 in a server based gaming environment. Server based gaming environments may be advantageous to casinos by allowing fast downloading of particular game types or themes based on casino preference or player selection. Additionally, tournament based games, linked games, and certain game types, such as BINGO or keno may benefit from at least some server 80 based control.

Thus, in some embodiments, the network 50, server 80, and database 90 may be dedicated to communications regarding specific game or tournament play. In other embodiments, however, the network 50, server 80, and database 90 may be part of a player tracking network. For player tracking capabilities, when a player inserts a player tracking card in the card reader 46 (FIG. 2), the player tracking unit 45 sends player identification information obtained on the card reader 46 through the MCI 42 over the network 50 to the player tracking server 80, where the player identification information is compared to player information records in the player database 90 to provide the player with information regarding their player account or other features at the gaming device 10 where the player is wagering. Additionally, multiple databases 90 and/or servers 80 may be present and coupled to one or more networks 50 to provide a variety of gaming services, such as both game/tournament data and player tracking data.

The various systems described with reference to FIGS. 2-4 can be used in a number of ways. For instance, the systems can be used to track data about various players. The tracked data can be used by the casino to provide additional benefits to players, such as extra bonuses or extra benefits such as bonus games and other benefits as described above. These added benefits further entice the players to play at the casino that provides the benefits.

The above gaming devices and systems illustrate the types of gaming products that can be implemented with Mahjong game aspects, as well as providing an overview of some of the features of these devices and systems. Discussed below are various embodiments of gaming devices and systems that utilize Mahjong elements. These embodiments represent various manners of implementing Mahjong game play on gaming devices and systems, and are provided to highlight possible features and game play modes. Many additional embodiments, however, are possible and are contemplated by this invention.

Single Hand Embodiments

In one embodiment, a player is dealt a set hand of Mahjong tiles or symbols with no subsequent opportunity to discard or change the tiles dealt. The original hand dealt is then assessed against a predetermined paytable, a dealer hand, and/or one or more other hands to ascertain whether the hand is of a winning ranking or not. The player is then paid according to the value of the hand, and the amount wagered on the hand. The player may be dealt any number of tiles from 1 to a maximum number of tiles, although a deal of thirteen may be popular as this is the typical size of a traditional Mahjong hand. The paytable may be set up to award prizes for specific combinations of tiles in the player's final hand. For example melds of three or four tiles may be awarded a particular value, pairs of similar tiles may be award smaller prizes, straights of three or more tiles may also be associated with prizes. Various other combinations that use the Honor or Bonus tiles may also pay additional prizes.

FIG. 5 is a detail diagram of a gaming device having Mahjong elements according to embodiments of the invention. Referring to FIG. 5, a gaming device 100 includes a gaming display 120 and a player interface panel 130. The player interface panel 130 includes one or more bet buttons 132, one or more game buttons 131, and one or more game initiation buttons 133. The gaming display 120 includes one or more elements of game indicia 122, one or more soft buttons 125, 129, and game information 121, 127, 128. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the game indicia is thirteen Mahjong tiles 122 displayed in a row of eight and a row of five. Although there are thirteen dealt Mahjong tiles 122 distributed in two rows in the illustrated embodiments, more or fewer tiles 122 may be dealt, and the tiles may be distributed in many various patterns or shapes, such as a single row of thirteen tiles. The soft buttons include a player help button 129, and a game activation button 125 labeled “DEAL.” The game information on the gaming display 120 includes a game banner 121, a credit and bet meter 128, and a game paytable 127.

In operation, gaming device 100 displays thirteen Mahjong tiles 122 on the gaming display 120 in response to receiving a wager placed by a player. The received Mahjong tiles are analyzed and compared against a paytable 127 to determine if the Mahjong hand results in any winning combinations associated with an award. In the illustrated hand the player has received a three tile meld, four pairs of tiles, and two single tiles. The player may be awarded 10 credits for the three tile meld and 1 credit for each pair of the four pairs of tiles on a 5 credit wager. Hence, the player would receive an award of 14 credits for the hand displayed in FIG. 5.

The above game operation simply displays 13 Mahjong tiles 122 during each game play and compares various combinations of received tiles (such as melds, pairs, straights, etc.) to a game paytable 127. However, various other embodiments may employ many different variations in game play. For example, 13 Mahjong tiles 122 are used in the embodiment displayed in FIG. 5, but more or fewer tiles may be used to make up a hand. In other embodiments, a player may have interact with the game to arrange the tiles in a particular order to receive awards. For example, a player may have to move tiles 122 around the game display 120 to form scoring melds, pairs, etc. that are associated with awards. In one example, a player may have to decide how to use a particular tile in a scoring combination, such as whether to use it in a pair or straight. In another example, a common tile 122 could be used in two different scoring combinations. Different embodiments could integrate a ‘self sorting’ functionality, where the optimum play is suggested or prompted to the player, and/or the tiles are sorted automatically into scoring groups and possibly highlighted accordingly.

FIGS. 6A and 6B show another example embodiment with a single hand deal using Mahjong tiles. Referring to FIG. 6A, 13 Mahjong tiles 222 are dealt on a gaming display 220 in response to a wager. Here, the dealt Mahjong tiles 222 are dealt face down or otherwise hidden from the player. In this embodiment, the player selects 8 of the 13 tiles 222 to form a Mahjong hand that is compared to a paytable 227 in order to determine if any awards are won by the player. The game information 228 here shows that the player has eight picks remaining.

Referring to FIG. 6B, the player has now selected six tiles 222, which are revealed to the player as shown in FIG. 6B. As the game information meter 228 shows, the player still has two tiles 122 to select. Once the player chooses the two remaining tiles 222, the 8 tile hand will be the final hand and analyzed for winning combinations. In other embodiments, the player may continue selecting tiles if they do not like the eight tile hand that they have received. Here, selecting a new tile may cause a first selected tile 222 or a random one of the selected tiles to become ineligible as part of the 8 tile final hand. The player may press one of the game buttons 225 when they have an eight tile hand that they want to play. Alternatively, the player will receive the last selected 8 tiles 222 if the player continues choosing tiles until they are all revealed. Various other embodiments are also possible using final Mahjong tile hands that are a subset of all dealt tiles 222.

In other embodiments one or more tiles 222, or an additional symbol/tile(s), may be used as “wild” symbols. These wild symbols may be substitute for a particular symbol, particular symbols, or all symbols in the set of Mahjong tiles to form winning combinations. The tiles that would act as ‘wild’ symbols could either be designated existing tiles that are part of the Mahjong set of tiles, or additional independent symbols introduced for this purpose.

Draw and/or Discard Embodiments

Traditional games of Mahjong commonly allow a player to draw and discard tiles to attempt to improve the strength of a hand. Similarly, some embodiments of this concept may deal multiple tiles to a player and then allow the player one or more opportunities to draw and/or discard tiles to attempt to improve a hand. For example, referring back to FIG. 5, a player may be initially dealt 13 Mahjong tiles 122, and then be presented with an opportunity to discard tiles and draw additional tiles. Here, the player may touch the tiles 122 that she wishes to discard and then press the DEAL button 125 or Repeat Bet button 133 to draw additional tiles to replace the discarded tiles. A player may be given a set number of opportunities to discard and draw tiles depending on the game rules. The number of opportunities to discard and draw tiles may be indicated in the player information banner 121 or other location on the game display 120.

In other variations, a game may be divided up into rounds where a player draws one or more tiles 122 at a time and either discards a corresponding number of tiles or finalizes a hand. In one example, a player may draw one tile 122 until she can form four groups or melds of tiles and one pair or head of tiles. The number of rounds or draws required to form a hand over a predefined value may be used at least in part to determine if the player is awarded a prize and how large the prize may be. In the above example, the player may have 10% of a prize value for a final hand deducted for each draw that they use in creating a final hand. Thus, if the player uses 10 draws during a single game to form a final hand, the game is over. Many other variations in determining an award method and paytable are also possible using these principles.

Poker Style Embodiments

In other embodiments, games may combine the traditional tiles (symbols) of the ancient Chinese game of Mahjong with poker like methods of play. That is, the player is dealt one or more rows at the beginning of a game of Mahjong. Each dealt row may include the traditional number of 13 tiles, although more or fewer tiles may be dealt in other embodiments. The player may then have the chance to hold, discard, draw, or otherwise manipulate their dealt tiles to achieve a final hand that is compared against a paytable. These allowed actions with the dealt tiles may minor common poker play with cards.

These poker plays may be similar to some of the poker games available to players, such as “Draw Poker,” “Jacks or Better,” “Deuces Wild,” “Bonus Poker,” “Double Bonus Poker,” “Double Double Bonus Poker” (all commonly seen games produced by IGT, and offered in casinos throughout the USA and elsewhere), different varieties of stud poker (including but not limited to Caribbean Stud Poker), and any other forms of poker that could utilize Mahjong tiles instead of a standard deck of 52 cards (or 53 or more with joker(s)).

In one embodiment, a Player is dealt a hand of Mahjong tiles, most likely 13, but not limited to 13 tiles (the number effectively being anywhere from 1 to 144 or another maximum number of tiles). The player then selects none, one, or more tiles to be kept, and the rest are discarded. The player is then dealt replacement tiles, from the remaining tiles in the set (one or more times), and the hand is assessed against a predetermined pay table to ascertain whether the hand is of a winning ranking or not. The player is then paid according to the value of the hand, and the amount wagered on the hand.

In alternative embodiments, the player may be allowed to discard a number of times, either based on a pre-set number of times, or according to the tiles dealt, or even according to the play method with the tiles dealt. These embodiments may be advantageous in that they more closely resemble methodology and game play for traditional games of Mahjong.

In addition, other embodiments may use “multi-play” hands, where identical sets of tiles are dealt for each of the multiple hands. Tiles held in one hand are held in all hands, but each hand has an independent draw to form multiple different final hands. More particularly, a player places a wager for every row of tiles she wishes to play up to a maximum allowed by the game. Once the player is dealt the first row or rows of tiles, which is identical for each row or hand, the player has the option of selecting none, one or more of the tiles to be held. The tiles that are held are also held in any additional rows of tiles that may have been dealt. Replacement tiles are dealt for those tiles discarded into each row, from the remaining tiles (normally 131 where 13 tiles are dealt in the original hand, but other embodiments could include remaining tiles plus those already discarded). Each unique hand (each row) is assessed against a predetermined pay table to ascertain whether each hand is of a winning value. The player is then paid out according to his or her wager for each of the winning rows, in consideration of the rank or value of the hand within the predetermined pay table in operation.

Embodiment of this game may be implemented on an electronic gaming device or on a physical or electronic gaming table. That is various embodiments may be utilized in a table form (like Blackjack or Baccarat), in an electronic gaming machine form, in a casino-type game to be played on the Internet, or even in a traditional board game.

FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate an example embodiment of poker-styled game play on an electronic game device. Referring to FIG. 7A, a gaming display 320 includes multiple dealt Mahjong tiles 322 and a game button 325 that allows a player to progress game play, and game information that includes a paytable 327. Here, the player has been dealt 13 Mahjong tiles 322 face up as an initial hand. The player may consult the paytable 327 to decide which tiles 322 are the most advantageous to hold and which tiles should be discarded. After selecting tiles 322 to hold, the player may press the DRAW button 325 to discard the non-held tiles and draw new tiles to replace the discarded tiles.

Referring to FIG. 7B, the player has held eight tiles 322, discarded five tiles, and drawn five more tiles to complete a final hand. A game information display 328 informs the player that the resulting final hand has winning combinations worth 125 credits.

Spinning Reel Embodiments

Although the above embodiments have been discussed in relation to a video display, other embodiments may utilize multiple spinning reels to generate a Mahjong hand. These spinning reels may be implemented as mechanical spinning reels or video spinning reels. Unlike conventional gaming devices that tend to award prizes from combinations that start from the leftmost (and/or rightmost) reel, combinations of Mahjong tiles could be assessed based on all the symbols that fall on a payline, in a designated area, or on a gaming display.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example gaming device with spinning reels having Mahjong elements according to embodiments of the invention. Referring to FIG. 8, a gaming device 400 includes a player interface area 430 and a gaming display 420. The player interface area 430 may include one or more game or bet buttons 432 and one or more game initiation buttons 433. The gaming display 420 may include game information 421 and multiple game reels 423 that include images of Mahjong tile or symbols 422. The gaming display 420 may also include a hand indicator 426 that highlights symbols 422 that come to rest when the reels 423 stop spinning. These highlighted symbols 422 in the hand indicator 426 may then be used to make winning combinations within the Mahjong hand. Operation of this embodiment may be similar to the single hand embodiments discussed above, except that the symbols are spun for instead of simply dealt.

In the illustrated embodiment, the gaming display 420 includes 13 reels 423 to form a hand with 13 Mahjong symbols 422. However, in other embodiments, more or fewer reels may be used. Additionally, multiple positions on the reels may be used as part of the Mahjong hand. For example, in a 5 reel embodiment, the two end reels 423 may be configured to only display 2 symbols 422 while the middle three reels display 3 Mahjong symbols each. This would result in 13 total displayed symbols 422 that could be used as the Mahjong hand.

In other embodiments, the player may select one or more reels to respin and show another symbol 422. These respins may be part of a bonus given to the player or part of a game with a more stringent paytable. In either situation, the player may only have a set number of respins.

Progressive Jackpot Embodiments

In these embodiments, one or more progressive jackpots are associated with the game. These progressive jackpots may be indicated or included in the paytable of the game, or may be awarded on top of a defined game paytable. The progressive award may be utilized as payment for a particular combination of symbols, or particular combinations of symbols. The progressive award may be configured as a single level progressive jackpot, or multiple levels of progressive jackpot prizes.

These embodiments may work in a similar manner as progressive jackpots work for slot machines, and table games, such as the famous Mega Bucks jackpot produced by IGT, or Caribbean Stud Poker, with its progressive jackpot for a Royal Flush. To win the progressive jackpot a certain wager (such as ‘maximum bet’) may be required. In a multi-hand poker style embodiment, eligibility for the progressive award may require the player to play all hands. In a “beat the dealer” embodiment, eligibility for the progressive award may require that the player beat the dealer during game play. These embodiments may be combined with any of the other embodiments of this concept.

Beat the Dealer Embodiments

In other embodiments, the player may be playing against another set or hand of tiles instead of trying to obtain “winning combinations” that appear on a paytable. That is, the player may play against a “dealer” or another player or players, where there are multiple hands dealt during each game. Here, the player, along with the dealer or other players are dealt a hand of a particular number of tiles. The player may then play to obtain a final hand of equal or higher ranking than the dealer (or other players) in order to receive a payout. This may be similar to game play in games such as Caribbean Stud Poker. Using similar rules as in Caribbean Stud Poker, each dealt hand must obtain a certain ranking in order to play on against the remaining player(s)/dealer, and failure to obtain such a hand could result in an automatic folding of that hand.

In some embodiments, the players may be able to hold, discard, and draw additional tiles using rules similar to draw poker or blackjack. In other embodiments, players may use community tiles to help form final hands, such as in Texas Hold 'Em style poker. Additional game variations are also possible.

These embodiments may again be implemented on a gaming table or on an electronic gaming device. FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a multiplayer game having Mahjong elements according to embodiments of the invention. Referring to FIG. 9, a multiplayer game using Mahjong elements includes four game terminals 501, 502, 503, and 504 are connected via a signal line 505. If the game terminals 501-504 are implemented on separated electronic gaming devices, the signal line 505 may connect each of these electronic gaming devices. If the game terminals 501-504 are part of a common multi-player electronic gaming device or electronic table, the signal line 505 may connect these multiple terminals through the gaming device. If the game terminals 501-504 are implemented on a conventional game table, the signal line 505 is not needed. Each of the game terminals 501-504 include a display or area to receive multiple Mahjong tiles 522 to form a hand. One of the game terminals 501-504 may be used by a dealer is a “Beat the Dealer” embodiment, or each of the terminals could be used by players. In poker-style embodiments on conventional game tables that do not use a “Beat the Dealer” rules and play against a set paytable, the dealer may be positioned adjacent to the game terminals 501-504. In various embodiments, more or fewer game terminals may be present.

Some embodiments of the invention have been described above, and in addition, some specific details are shown for purposes of illustrating the inventive principles. However, numerous other arrangements may be devised in accordance with the inventive principles of this patent disclosure. Further, well known processes have not been described in detail in order not to obscure the invention. Thus, while the invention is described in conjunction with the specific embodiments illustrated in the drawings, it is not limited to these embodiments or drawings. Rather, the invention is intended to cover alternatives, modifications, and equivalents that come within the scope and spirit of the inventive principles set out in the appended claims. 

1. A method of operating a gaming device being played by a player, the method comprising: receiving a wager to initiate a gaming event; displaying a plurality of game indicia having Mahjong symbols; grouping the game indicia in one or more combinations using at least a portion of the plurality of game indicia; comparing the one or more combinations of indicia with a prize threshold; and awarding prizes when the one or more combinations meet the prize threshold.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the prize threshold is a paytable of combinations that are associated with prizes.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein: the prize threshold is another plurality of displayed game indicia having Mahjong symbols that is grouped into one or more combinations, and meeting the prize threshold includes having combinations in the displayed plurality of game indicia that are valued more than the combinations of the other plurality of displayed game indicia.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the other plurality of displayed game indicia is received by a dealer.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the other plurality of displayed game indicia is received by another player.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the game indicia is an image of a tile with Mahjong symbols.
 7. The method of claim 6, further comprising: receiving one or more player inputs to hold one or more of the tiles when the player indicates that a corresponding tile is to be held; discarding any tiles that are not held by the player; and replacing any discarded tiles with new tiles.
 8. The method of claim 7, further comprising repeating the steps of receiving one or more player inputs to hold one or more of the tiles, discarding any tiles that are not held by the player, and replacing any discarded tiles with new tiles a predetermined number of times.
 9. The method of claim 6, displaying a plurality of game indicia having Mahjong symbols includes: displaying the plurality of tiles facedown; receiving a selection from a player indicating one of the plurality of facedown tiles; and turning over the facedown tile indicated by the player to reveal the Mahjong symbol associated with the tile.
 10. The method of claim 9, further comprising repeating the steps of receiving player selections and revealing the Mahjong symbol associated with the selected tile a predetermined number of times.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein selections made after the predetermined number of times has been reached eliminates the eligibility of one of the revealed tiles from being part of combinations compared with the prize threshold.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the tile eliminated from eligibility is the eligible tile that was revealed earliest in the gaming event.
 13. The method of claim 11, wherein the tile eliminated from eligibility is chosen at random from the eligible revealed tiles.
 14. The method of claim 6, wherein displaying a plurality of game indicia having Mahjong symbols includes randomly choosing thirteen Mahjong tiles from a set of one hundred forty four possible Mahjong tiles.
 15. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying a plurality of game indicia having Mahjong symbols includes: spinning a plurality of game reels each having a plurality of images with Mahjong symbols; and stopping the plurality of game reels to display the plurality of game indicia.
 16. A gaming device including: a gaming display to display game indicia having Mahjong symbols during a gaming event; a player interface panel having one or more player input mechanisms; and a processor configured to select a plurality of game indicia having Mahjong symbols to display on the game display, grouping the selected game indicia in one or more combinations using at least a portion of the plurality of game indicia, comparing the one or more combinations of indicia with a prize threshold, and awarding prizes when the one or more combinations meet the prize threshold.
 17. The gaming device of claim 16, wherein the gaming display includes a plurality of spinning game reels having a plurality of images with Mahjong symbols.
 18. The gaming device of claim 17, wherein number of spinning reels is the same as the number of selected game indicia.
 19. The gaming device of claim 17, wherein the number of images displayed on the game reels is the same as the number of selected game indicia.
 20. The gaming device of claim 16, wherein the player interface includes a number of game buttons equal to the number of selected game indicia. 